What is a prototype?

A prototype is a preliminary model of something. Projects that offer physical products need to show backers documentation of a working prototype. This gallery features photos, videos, and other visual documentation that will give backers a sense of what’s been accomplished so far and what’s left to do. Though the development process can vary for each project, these are the stages we typically see:

Proof of Concept

Explorations that test ideas and functionality.

Functional Prototype

Demonstrates the functionality of the final product, but looks different.

Appearance Prototype

Looks like the final product, but is not functional.

Design Prototype

Appearance and function match the final product, but is made with different manufacturing methods.

Production Prototype

Appearance, function, and manufacturing methods match the final product.

Prototype Gallery

These photos and videos provide a detailed look at this project’s development.

About

Parent alerts for Minecraft

CrafterWatch™ monitors your child's Minecraft** world in real-time and alerts you to trouble so you can be the superhero you are.

Know the servers your child is connecting to.

Know if someone is bullying your child.

Know if someone is using foul language or if they're asking your child for personal information.

Most importantly, know when to step in with encouragement, warnings, or correction.

Our simple-to-install app will turn the Minecraft universe into your backyard, so you can keep an eye on your child. No need to be anxious anymore, you'll know what's happening and when you need to act.

You can have CrafterWatch alert you when certain events happen in Minecraft, like server connections, so you know what's going on.

CrafterWatch Parent Dashboard gives you insight into the context for alert messages so you can decide when to act.

Most parents think it's just a game, but Minecraft is a form of virtual reality that includes creative building environments, games, challenges, and more. It can be wildly educational, incredibly social, and massively fun. But like anything good, it can also present some challenges at a key time in the lives of children.

"Minecraft is great, but parents don't realize the problems that can happen..." -Kim Kamando (nationally syndicated radio talk show host)

"My teen has met unsavory characters and been exposed to pornography on Minecraft servers, even so-called safe servers." -Rose R.

"I like what they are learning, so it's easy to rationalize letting them play longer." -Bruce W.

"I don't know anything about Minecraft. Would like to spend time with them, but it's all a mystery to me." -Cheryl M.

"It's a challenge making sure that the places they play and people they play with are safe." -Tammy

CrafterWatch, the Parenting Solution for Minecraft

Understand

CrafterWatch gives you a real-time window into what your child is doing, who he is interacting with and what is being said, so you understand what is really going on when he is online. You won’t spend another moment asking yourself what he does for all those hours online. CrafterWatch makes it easy for you…even if you have no understanding of what the game is!

Manage

Now you can create boundaries within Minecraft, just like you do in real life. As you get updates on activity, you will recognize opportunities to help your child learn about building relationships, handling unexpected developments and communicating in the way you expect them. CrafterWatch really does turn Minecraft into your virtual backyard through patent-pending conversation analysis, so you can "listen in", observe, and intervene when you feel it appropriate.

Protect

Sometimes parents have to intervene in a child’s life to protect them, from themselves or others. CrafterWatch provides you an extraordinarily flexible way to be notified of bad language, bullying and predatory behavior so you can instantly act, protecting your child and using these developments as teaching opportunities for personal and online safety.

CrafterWatch lets you know what's going on

What if you could connect more with your child? What if you knew more about where they were going and what people were saying to them? What if you could know when trouble is brewing in their digital life?

Those were Steve's questions as a parent of two sons who love to play Minecraft. And it's what led him to develop his patent-pending technique for analyzing conversations. For several months Steve's family have been using the prototype and it's changed the way he and his wife parent their gamers. It's helped them put a stop to bullying situations and also helped them teach their boys about Internet safety.

What are parents saying about CrafterWatch?

Project

We've built the prototype. But the it's very basic, hard to install, and doesn't do everything you would expect it to do. In short, it's not yet accessible to the average parent. So, this project will address these issues by building the real thing so the average parent can easily install and use CrafterWatch on a Windows computer.

Our project will accomplish the following objectives:

Create the CrafterWatch Client for Windows Minecraft (Java edition). The CrafterWatch Client will watch for connections to Minecraft servers and monitor in-game chat conversations in real-time

Make it easy for parents to install the CrafterWatch Client a computer running the Windows operating system

Fully integrate the CrafterWatch Client with the companion website so parents can get fast alerts and a convenient way to view transcripts of in-game conversations from anywhere

Timeline

July 19th, 2017 - Kickstarter campaign ends

July 24th, 2017 - software development of the CrafterWatch Client for Minecraft (Java edition) on Windows begins

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $110 or more
About $110

(4x) 6 months of CrafterWatch service

Receive four (4) transferrable six (6) month CrafterWatch subscriptions. Use one for your family and give the others as a gifts. Or give them all as gifts. The perfect option for grandparents, aunts, and uncles of Minecrafters. (a $240 value)